I was remarking to one of my colleagues that it's hard to detect a theme to the offerings at the…read moreFrisco Barroom. They've got Poutine, from Canada, Pierogies, from wherever, and various other things, including Fish and Chips and a French Dip. Who came up with this menu, Elizabeth Warren?
Well, whoever it was, my hat's off to them. I enjoyed the French Dip I had there, and I suspect that it's not the only good thing they serve.
I could hardly get on the lot, when I arrived the other day, but I've learned, from a recent visit to the Circle 7 Ranch in Ballwin, that that's not necessarily an indication of a restaurant's popularity. It could be people visiting a nearby Italian restaurant. I ended up having to park way down the street.
I went on a five-mile run before going inside, and by the time I did enter, the crowd had somewhat subsided. But you could tell this place is bustling. There's a cool-looking bar, and an outdoor space that's supposedly worth checking out. The overall vibe is the kind of place where a woman of a certain age who's still trying to hold things together goes to try to meet a guy in finance--ideally over 5'8, but beggars can't be choosers.
I toyed with the idea of getting one of the Poutines, and maybe I should have? I've never had it before, and it seems like the kind of thing you wouldn't necessarily have for the first time in Missouri, of all places, but it looked really good, as did the Pierogies. This place might be able to do anything. Supposedly, they make everything from scratch. It's not exactly cheap, but you'd almost expect it to be more expensive, at a time when you can hardly go to McDonald's without having to put it on Klarna. Not to give them any ideas.
I went with the French Dip, which has been a favorite of mine since Moby Dick was a minnow. I love a good French bread, and I love dipping things in au jus, consommé and what have you. Sandwiches, I should specify. You could tell this one was going to be good. The whole thing, including both the bread and the meat, was surprisingly fragrant when they set it down in front of me, in the way that well-prepared food oftentimes is. It's the bread more so than the meat that makes a good French Dip, and this bread was especially good.
If there was a problem with this one, it's that the au jus wasn't as salty as I've had it elsewhere. It's the kind of thing that can easily be rectified tableside, but I don't know if that should have been necessary, especially when the salt level on the fries was so perfect. I'm glad I tasted them before I added any. But that's the kind of nitpicking you have to do when everything else is so on point. This place is really good, and I hope to one day return and sample some of their other seemingly randomly selected wares.